Newbie needs help with gear decision!

I'm new to paintball and have only played 3 times with rental stuff but I enjoyed it so I'm looking into getting into this a little more. I need help from you guys figuring out what stuff to get.

1- Mask - I'm looking for something that will not fog-up. At this point I don't really care about looks at all. I just don't want it to fog up so the cheapest mask that won't fog up will do. It was really annoying at times playing with the rental mask because it would fog up before the game even started so all I could see were blurs in the background. I'm making the mask my priority on this list since nothing else matters if you can't see what you're shooting at or who's shooting at you.

2- Marker - Looking for something to play the speedball style paintball. No Tippmans please. I'm sure they're nice and all but I used a rental Tippman 98 and it felt like I was running around with a huge brick all day. I don't need something that shoots very fast or even electronic. I just want something that can at least keep up with the speed at which I can pull a trigger with one finger. I have zero experience with paintball markers so I would prefer something easy to use and easy to maintain. I was looking at the GOG Enmey which has gotten nice reviews from what I've read so far and it stays below $150. What do you guys think?

3- Hopper - Nothing fancy, just something that can at least keep up with a marker such as the one I mentioned above or whichever marker you will recommend.

4- Air tank - CO2? Compressed Air? I have no idea at all about the tanks or what numbers mean such as 48/3000 and stuff like that. Help!! Just looking for something that is easy to use and will fit/work with the marker I mentioned above or whichever you recommend.

5- Others - Ok, what the heck is a barrel kit for? Is Freak a brand? A type of barrel? What is CP on/off? Also, I see there are different lenghts of barrels so I wanted to ask what lenght is recommended. I don't have a lot of patience to stay in the back so I probably will be one the people that play in the front and not the back because I like to move around and dive and all that good stuff so I don't know if a person that plays in the back would use the same barrel lenght as a person that gets closer to the action.

I'm new to paintball and have only played 3 times with rental stuff but I enjoyed it so I'm looking into getting into this a little more. I need help from you guys figuring out what stuff to get.

1- Mask - I'm looking for something that will not fog-up. At this point I don't really care about looks at all. I just don't want it to fog up so the cheapest mask that won't fog up will do. It was really annoying at times playing with the rental mask because it would fog up before the game even started so all I could see were blurs in the background. I'm making the mask my priority on this list since nothing else matters if you can't see what you're shooting at or who's shooting at you.

2- Marker - Looking for something to play the speedball style paintball. No Tippmans please. I'm sure they're nice and all but I used a rental Tippman 98 and it felt like I was running around with a huge brick all day. I don't need something that shoots very fast or even electronic. I just want something that can at least keep up with the speed at which I can pull a trigger with one finger. I have zero experience with paintball markers so I would prefer something easy to use and easy to maintain. I was looking at the GOG Enmey which has gotten nice reviews from what I've read so far and it stays below $150. What do you guys think?

3- Hopper - Nothing fancy, just something that can at least keep up with a marker such as the one I mentioned above or whichever marker you will recommend.

4- Air tank - CO2? Compressed Air? I have no idea at all about the tanks or what numbers mean such as 48/3000 and stuff like that. Help!! Just looking for something that is easy to use and will fit/work with the marker I mentioned above or whichever you recommend.

5- Others - Ok, what the heck is a barrel kit for? Is Freak a brand? A type of barrel? What is CP on/off? Also, I see there are different lenghts of barrels so I wanted to ask what lenght is recommended. I don't have a lot of patience to stay in the back so I probably will be one the people that play in the front and not the back because I like to move around and dive and all that good stuff so I don't know if a person that plays in the back would use the same barrel lenght as a person that gets closer to the action.

Anything else I should know? Thanks in advance!!!

Hey! Welcome to paintball first off...

1 mask: I would looking into an empire event they are good masks and you can pick them up cheap on here. I just purchased one for 30 I think.

2. Marker: would recommend an electronic. The more you play you will want one eventually. Maybe like an smart parts ion? Or something similar. You can also find those pretty cheap on here.

3. Hopper: your going to want an electronic one. Halo maybe? You can find an older one on here as well for a good price.

4. Tank: get HPA. Not Co2. If money is tight get a 3000 but you will be happier with the weight of a 4500 if you can afford it.

5. Other: I would recommend just playing with your money. You will want upgrades in time. I would also suggest looking into paintball pants.

Masks
For what you're looking for, I would suggest the Empire Events. I have them right now and they work wonders. It's a huge improvement when it comes to using those rental masks. All of the lenses are anti-fog lenses, but you can buy tinted lenses down the road. They are very comfortable, reliable, and easy to clean. Just remember, don't lose the small mask locks that go on the ears... it's a ***** to use them without them!

Tank
With you being an entry level player, I don't think you should shell out the money for a new carbon fiber tank just yet. I would suggest you take a look at the marketplace forum for air systems to find great deals on used equipment. You will be able to find a tank for a fair price with a year or so left on the hydro date (a time when your tank needs to be re-tested for reliability, all tanks go through it, so don't worry. It's also relatively cheap). If you're going with the used carbon fiber tanks, then remember to look for a 68/45 tank (68cu, 4500psi). But, if you are just wanting to stick with the basics for now, and don't want to go out of your budget, then buy a nice steelie (a steel high pressure air (hpa) tank that is standard for rentals). You can normally find them at your local pro-shop for a pretty cheap price, or, or on an online store like ANSGear.

Loader (Hopper)
If you're wanting to actually keep up with other experienced players at your local fields, there is no reason to use a gravity fed hopper. You are in the market for a cheap paintball setup, not some stone age gravity fed hoppers. You will probably be in the price range for a new Invert Halo Too hopper. They are good beginning loaders, and they will definitely work wonders compared to the gravity fed hoppers you're used to. But before you buy one, I would recommend to take a look at the marketplace section for hoppers to find cheap, used equipment.

Marker
Now, to the good part! When I first began paintballing, I bought a good ole' Smart Parts ION... but since they've went under the name of "GOG," I recommend you take a look at their markers. They have a gun, which is basically a newer release of the ION, the eNVy. It will be great for you to begin with. Nothing too hard to not figure out, simple to maintain, and great for its price. You will be able to use this marker for some time before you start getting more and more into upgrades and wanting a better marker. But, before you just go off and buy a new marker, check out the marketplace section for electronic markers. You will be able to find great deals on markers here. I advise you to look through this, and see what suits you better. You could like an ION that someone is selling, or you could just decide on the GOG eNVy. It's all in the research. Always ask questions before you buy anything. All members of this forum are always helpful with newcomers. So don't be afraid to message anyone or ask anyone any questions in a thread!

Other
A barrel kit is used to improve your accuracy for your marker. When you are shooting paintballs, there are different types. The different sizes are labled the "bore size." There are different barrel bores for different sizes of paint (paint balls). You will not really need to worry about this right now, as you are just entering the sport. Although, if you want to upgrade your barrel of your gun, I advise you to look at some Custom Products 1 piece barrels. They are a single pieced barrel with great milling on the inside. They are simple to keep clean, cheap, and actually pretty stylish. The length of your barrel really depends on what you will be playing at the moment. If you're the running, gunning, son of a ***** you are claiming to be, then I advise a nice 14 inch barrel. If you tend to play back, then go for a longer barrel. But, you will get more familiar with item names like the "freak kit" or the "shaft 4 barrel kit" along the way. And as far as the CP on/off question, it's an ASA. An ASA is the part of your marker that the tank screws into to give your gun air pressure. CP (custom products, a paintball brand) creates their own kind of ASA. They have an ASA that allows you to air your gun up, or de-gas it. They are typically seen on high-end markers, on on highly upgraded markers. The purpose is essentially to not have your gun gassed up when you're not using it, so nothing can happen on accident. But, I don't think you should worry about that right now. Right now, you should focus on getting better at the sport. It takes time and dedication to get good at this sport. But one tip I can give you, as a beginner, is to play tight to your bunkers. Why? Because paintball is a game of angles. If you're lounging back, maybe exposing a shoe or an elbow, someone WILL take advantage of that, and shoot you out of your bunker. If you stay tight to your bunker, and shoot when the time is right, you will be able to learn other aspects of the sport better.

Masks
For what you're looking for, I would suggest the Empire Events. I have them right now and they work wonders. It's a huge improvement when it comes to using those rental masks. All of the lenses are anti-fog lenses, but you can buy tinted lenses down the road. They are very comfortable, reliable, and easy to clean. Just remember, don't lose the small mask locks that go on the ears... it's a ***** to use them without them!

Tank
With you being an entry level player, I don't think you should shell out the money for a new carbon fiber tank just yet. I would suggest you take a look at the marketplace forum for air systems to find great deals on used equipment. You will be able to find a tank for a fair price with a year or so left on the hydro date (a time when your tank needs to be re-tested for reliability, all tanks go through it, so don't worry. It's also relatively cheap). If you're going with the used carbon fiber tanks, then remember to look for a 68/45 tank (68cu, 4500psi). But, if you are just wanting to stick with the basics for now, and don't want to go out of your budget, then buy a nice steelie (a steel high pressure air (hpa) tank that is standard for rentals). You can normally find them at your local pro-shop for a pretty cheap price, or, or on an online store like ANSGear.

Loader (Hopper)
If you're wanting to actually keep up with other experienced players at your local fields, there is no reason to use a gravity fed hopper. You are in the market for a cheap paintball setup, not some stone age gravity fed hoppers. You will probably be in the price range for a new Invert Halo Too hopper. They are good beginning loaders, and they will definitely work wonders compared to the gravity fed hoppers you're used to. But before you buy one, I would recommend to take a look at the marketplace section for hoppers to find cheap, used equipment.

Marker
Now, to the good part! When I first began paintballing, I bought a good ole' Smart Parts ION... but since they've went under the name of "GOG," I recommend you take a look at their markers. They have a gun, which is basically a newer release of the ION, the eNVy. It will be great for you to begin with. Nothing too hard to not figure out, simple to maintain, and great for its price. You will be able to use this marker for some time before you start getting more and more into upgrades and wanting a better marker. But, before you just go off and buy a new marker, check out the marketplace section for electronic markers. You will be able to find great deals on markers here. I advise you to look through this, and see what suits you better. You could like an ION that someone is selling, or you could just decide on the GOG eNVy. It's all in the research. Always ask questions before you buy anything. All members of this forum are always helpful with newcomers. So don't be afraid to message anyone or ask anyone any questions in a thread!

Other
A barrel kit is used to improve your accuracy for your marker. When you are shooting paintballs, there are different types. The different sizes are labled the "bore size." There are different barrel bores for different sizes of paint (paint balls). You will not really need to worry about this right now, as you are just entering the sport. Although, if you want to upgrade your barrel of your gun, I advise you to look at some Custom Products 1 piece barrels. They are a single pieced barrel with great milling on the inside. They are simple to keep clean, cheap, and actually pretty stylish. The length of your barrel really depends on what you will be playing at the moment. If you're the running, gunning, son of a ***** you are claiming to be, then I advise a nice 14 inch barrel. If you tend to play back, then go for a longer barrel. But, you will get more familiar with item names like the "freak kit" or the "shaft 4 barrel kit" along the way. And as far as the CP on/off question, it's an ASA. An ASA is the part of your marker that the tank screws into to give your gun air pressure. CP (custom products, a paintball brand) creates their own kind of ASA. They have an ASA that allows you to air your gun up, or de-gas it. They are typically seen on high-end markers, on on highly upgraded markers. The purpose is essentially to not have your gun gassed up when you're not using it, so nothing can happen on accident. But, I don't think you should worry about that right now. Right now, you should focus on getting better at the sport. It takes time and dedication to get good at this sport. But one tip I can give you, as a beginner, is to play tight to your bunkers. Why? Because paintball is a game of angles. If you're lounging back, maybe exposing a shoe or an elbow, someone WILL take advantage of that, and shoot you out of your bunker. If you stay tight to your bunker, and shoot when the time is right, you will be able to learn other aspects of the sport better.

If you have any more questions, just say so!

Thanks for all that info!!! I will take a look around here for used equiqment like you recommended.

I'm new to paintball and have only played 3 times with rental stuff but I enjoyed it so I'm looking into getting into this a little more. I need help from you guys figuring out what stuff to get.

1- Mask - I'm looking for something that will not fog-up. At this point I don't really care about looks at all. I just don't want it to fog up so the cheapest mask that won't fog up will do. It was really annoying at times playing with the rental mask because it would fog up before the game even started so all I could see were blurs in the background. I'm making the mask my priority on this list since nothing else matters if you can't see what you're shooting at or who's shooting at you.

2- Marker - Looking for something to play the speedball style paintball. No Tippmans please. I'm sure they're nice and all but I used a rental Tippman 98 and it felt like I was running around with a huge brick all day. I don't need something that shoots very fast or even electronic. I just want something that can at least keep up with the speed at which I can pull a trigger with one finger. I have zero experience with paintball markers so I would prefer something easy to use and easy to maintain. I was looking at the GOG Enmey which has gotten nice reviews from what I've read so far and it stays below $150. What do you guys think?

3- Hopper - Nothing fancy, just something that can at least keep up with a marker such as the one I mentioned above or whichever marker you will recommend.

4- Air tank - CO2? Compressed Air? I have no idea at all about the tanks or what numbers mean such as 48/3000 and stuff like that. Help!! Just looking for something that is easy to use and will fit/work with the marker I mentioned above or whichever you recommend.

5- Others - Ok, what the heck is a barrel kit for? Is Freak a brand? A type of barrel? What is CP on/off? Also, I see there are different lenghts of barrels so I wanted to ask what lenght is recommended. I don't have a lot of patience to stay in the back so I probably will be one the people that play in the front and not the back because I like to move around and dive and all that good stuff so I don't know if a person that plays in the back would use the same barrel lenght as a person that gets closer to the action.

Anything else I should know? Thanks in advance!!!

1. Mask - I would look at the Profiler. Decent price, great ventilation, easy lens swap. Mine have never fogged. I suggest buying new. ~$75

2. Marker - If you like the eNMEy go for it. Nicest mechanical marker I have used. Will save you some money in paint. New. ~$130

3. Hopper - Used Halo or Halo Too. Cheap and reliable. The Too is lighter I believe. I suggest buying used. ~$40

4. Air Tank - If your local field can fill air tanks (HPA), go with that instead of CO2. A steel tank will be cheaper, heavier and hold less air. A carbon fiber (or similar) tank will be more expensive, lighter and hold more air. I would go new if you buy a steel tank, used if you go with a carbon fiber tank. I suggest a used carbon fiber tank. ~$100

5. Don't worry about barrel kits, on/offs or anything else just yet. Barrel length is not going to matter for you. Just get some decent gear and go play.

This set-up will run about $350. A little over your budget because of the tank. I think it is worth the extra money, but if you simply can't go the extra $50 just go with a steel tank. Just my 2 cents. Good luck and welcome.

__________________

** If your parents can't pay for your paintball stuff because they are too old and their social security checks are used to fund their retirement, put this in your signature**

where do you play/live?
are there any good local shops that wont try and sell you 10k worth of gear you can not use or afford yet? working within your $300 budget to get you decent gear that you will be happy with for a long time to come?
what kind of play he likes wants to play.
what kind of gear his the other guys he plays with have.
if the field has hpa fills etc or if there is much of a price difference in hpa and co2.
how much does paint cost in your area?

All of these things can and will affect your gear choices.
Plus if this used marker breaks how will you fix it?
Is it fixable? Most likely yes but will you be able to do it?

First off the enemy sucks alright i tryed it and its garbage i have an eNVy and its awsome so 50 dollars wont kill you.
Next the hopper I have a Halo Too and it works great but if you had to go cheaper maybe an Overdrive
Masks I use Empire Helixs' and they are great for the price make sure you get the thermal lenses they help a lot
Your tank should be HPA because CO2 will freeze up the reg after a while and your gonna have to wait for defrost. You dont need carbon fiber to start off with just a regular HPA aluminum.
Upgrades can wait see what you feel is missing from your gun then you decide what you feel you need. Notice how I said you or your a lot this is because nobody knows the way you play better than you.

First off the enemy sucks alright i tryed it and its garbage i have an eNVy and its awsome so 50 dollars wont kill you.
Next the hopper I have a Halo Too and it works great but if you had to go cheaper maybe an Overdrive
Masks I use Empire Helixs' and they are great for the price make sure you get the thermal lenses they help a lot
Your tank should be HPA because CO2 will freeze up the reg after a while and your gonna have to wait for defrost. You dont need carbon fiber to start off with just a regular HPA aluminum.
Upgrades can wait see what you feel is missing from your gun then you decide what you feel you need. Notice how I said you or your a lot this is because nobody knows the way you play better than you.

Welcome to Paintball

-XtremeBaller13

To the OP, ignore this guy. He has 2 posts on PBN. This one where he trashes the eNMEy (mechanical) after comparing it with the eNVEy (electronic). And in his other post he is complaining about the trigger on his eNVEy.

__________________

** If your parents can't pay for your paintball stuff because they are too old and their social security checks are used to fund their retirement, put this in your signature**

First off the enemy sucks alright i tryed it and its garbage i have an eNVy and its awsome so 50 dollars wont kill you.
Next the hopper I have a Halo Too and it works great but if you had to go cheaper maybe an Overdrive
Masks I use Empire Helixs' and they are great for the price make sure you get the thermal lenses they help a lot
Your tank should be HPA because CO2 will freeze up the reg after a while and your gonna have to wait for defrost. You dont need carbon fiber to start off with just a regular HPA aluminum.
Upgrades can wait see what you feel is missing from your gun then you decide what you feel you need. Notice how I said you or your a lot this is because nobody knows the way you play better than you.